A POPULAR skating rink closed in the first week of the school holidays and cancelled a foam party, due to the heatwave due to safety concerns from the hottest weather of the year.

Dovercourt Skating Rink announced the closure on Tuesday.

On its Facebook page, it said: “Due to the current heatwave and the Met Office advising people to stay indoors and the fact we are an outdoor venue, we have made the hard decision to close until Saturday.

“Pre-teen foam parties will also be rescheduled due to the weather. Anyone who has purchased tickets will be able to exchange them for the new date or get a full refund.”

The decision came after the Met Office issued a level three heatwave warning for parts of the UK, including the East of England.

The advice given was to stay out of the sun, especially during 11am to 3pm, drink plenty of water

and keep your home as cool as possible.

Chris Scutt, who runs the skate rink in Lower Marine Parade, said it was disappointing to have to close at the beginning of the summer holidays, but wanted to do the best for skaters.

He said: “We had been looking at it because of the heat. There is the risk of heat exhaustion. Obviously parents are looking after their children, but there is the temperature of the rink as well.

“There is a risk of skin burns at 135 degrees Fahrenheit and the ground had been getting to

120 halfway through the day.

“There is no shade on the rink whatsoever, it’s full-on sun, and we have metal railings people hold on to for support.

“We were looking at the kids and their safety was paramount.”

A foam party for pre-teens, aged six to 12, had been planned for today, but Mr Scutt said that had now been rearranged to September 3.

He added: “We were going to do a foam party, but we weren’t sure how the foam would react in the heat.

“The foam has a detergent effect and would reduce the effectiveness of the suncream so there was a risk of sunburn as parents would apply suncream and children would feel cool and not realise.”

Advice on keeping safe and healthy in the heatwave is available at nhs.uk/summerhealth.